Murdock to open in London’s Soho

The latest salvo in the glass-fronted hipsterisation of London’s once characterful Soho is coming this autumn in the shape of a new flagship sore from grooming brand Murdock. Opening in Brewer Street, the new store will be the largest of the company’s seven emporiums in the city.

Great news for guys looking for a beard trim, haircut or for an opportunity to stock up on some grooming gear this may be but as someone who has lived in London for over a quarter of a century and who’s witnessed the wholesale evisceration of Soho in the last few years I can’t help but feel a little ambivalent about the news.

“Brewer Street has a fantastic place in the history of London,” says Murdock’s CEO Brendan Murdock of the new opening. “Home once to breweries, gin palaces and even a hunting ground, it has always been a men’s haunt.” Now, I know I work in the grooming industry – and I like the Murdock brand a lot – but I can’t help but think that in referencing Soho’s rich and notorious past he’s drawn attention to all that’s wrong with the area now. Mind you, I suppose we should at least be grateful for the fact that it’s not another flat white coffee shop or Byron Burger…